New Trends in Liposome-based Drug Delivery in Colorectal Cancer

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers in both men and women. Approximately one-third of patients do not survive five years from diagnosis, which indicates the need for treatment improvement, also through new ways of drug delivery. A possible strategy to increase treatment efficacy is the use of liposomal formulation, which allows delivering both hydrophobic and hydrophilic compounds with better biocompatibility and reduced side-effects. Liposomal formulations showed better antitumor activity, longer drug accumulation and no cytotoxic effect on normal cells when compared to free drugs. In this review, we will present liposomal preparations studied in CRC in vitro and in vivo. We will focus on the advantages of liposomal delivery over conventional therapy as well as modifications which increase specificity, drug accumulation and efficacy. Moreover, we will discuss formulations investigated in clinical trials. Liposomal delivery has a great potential in overcoming current limitations of cancer therapy and development of this system gives new perspectives in CRC treatment.